SIG P210
The SIG P210, originally produced by SIG in 1949 for the Swiss Armed Forces (designated Pistole 49) is a semi-automatic pistol. It was produced between 1949 and 2005, the SIG P210 is used in a variety of shooting applications, such as hunting and target shooting, as well as used as a service pistol by several armed forces. Design Details The SIG P210 utilises a single-action trigger and semi-automatic breach lock system, based on the French Modele 1935 Pistol. The slide and frame are machined from a block of steel, rather than the recent techniques of stamping and welding, making the P210 expensive to produce (relative to other pistols made using other techniques) prompting SIG and the Swiss Army to use the P220 in 1975. Safety is controlled via a lever that prevents the trigger being pulled, using the magazine release mechanism to block the trigger. The P210 is simple to disassemble, the hammer mechanism part of a removal assembly (similar to the Tokarev TT-30 pistol), and slide mounted on rails inside of the frame. This method of slide mounting allows for a tighter fit of the slide to frame and barrel, hence providing the accuracy the P210 is known for. Variants The SIG P210 was developed, leading several varients being released with various improvements and changes to adjust the P210 to other shooting disciplines: *P210-1 - Commercial P210, chambered for 9mm Luger and .30 Luger. *P210-2 - Original P210, issued to the Swiss Armed Forces as the 'Pistole 49', chambered in 9mm Luger *P210-3 - Swiss Police P210, chambered in 9mm Luger and .30 Luger *P210-4 - Issued to (and named as) 'Bundesgrenzschutz', modified version of the P210-2 (with loaded chamber indicator and lack of lanyard loop), chambered in 9mm Luger *P210-5 - Sports P210, chambered in 9mm Luger and .30 Luger, extended (150mm) barrel **P210-5LS - 2003 version of the P210-5, chambered in 9mm Luger, featured side mounted magazine catch and heavy frame *P210-6 - Sports P210, chambered in 9mm Luger and .30 Luger, with 120mm standard barrel **P210-6S - 2003 version of the P210-6, chambered in 9mm Luger, features side mounted catch and heavy frame *P210-7 - .22 Long Rifle version, chambered in .22 Long Rifle, available as a conversion kit for the standard P210 *P210-8 - Deluxe Sports version, chambered in 9mm Luger, features side mounted catch and heavy frame *P200 - Double barrelled P210 *M/49 - Named 'Neuhausen', Danish military version of the P210 (slightly modified versions of the P210-1/P210-2), remains in service for over 60 years The P210 Legend, despite the discontinuation of the the P210 series in 2005, was released in 2010, featuring several parts from the P220 and P226 , which replaced the P210 in many applications. Ammunition The original SIG P210, as per the Swiss Army regulations, was chambered in 9mm Luger. Other calibers used are .30 Luger and the .22 Long Rifle. All calibers are shot from a 8 round box magazine. Usage Elluded to earlier, the P210 was intended for use by the Swiss Army. This was achieved in 1949 with various other nations adopting the P210: *Denmark *Latvia *Monaco *Switzerland - replaced by the P220 in 1975 *West Germany - replaced by the SIG Sauer P6 The P210 is renowned for its accuracy, due to the way in which the slide is fitted to the frame. It is also considered a reliable and quality pistol, largely due to being milled from a single block of steel. Resources *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIG_P210 *http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductList/pistols-p210.aspx Category:Pistols